Nobody can fill the shoes of Graham, but the Saints aren't asking anyone to do that. Coach Sean Payton plans to turn the offense into a run-heavy outfit that leans heavily on Mark Ingram and Spiller out of the backfield.

"We've been a top-five rushing offense before," Brees said. "We've been able to hurt you down the field with our wideouts, we've been able to hurt you underneath with running backs and tight ends, so I feel like we have all those components."

After last year's disappointing campaign, Payton appears prepared to surround Brees with better protection and more diversity through the air, something the signal-caller is on board with, hinting that opponents, this season, will "have just too many things to think about."